Interview by Michael J. Lee, Executive Editor for RadioFree.com
August 30, 2023

A chance encounter leads to an unsettling revelation in power dynamics in the psychological thriller Good Boy.

After connecting online through a dating app, Sigrid (Katrine Lovise Opstad Fredriksen) believes that she may have found a promising match in Christian (Gard Lokke) and asks to meet him in person. Despite having their differences, a certain underlying chemistry sparks between the two singles, and their courtship is fast-tracked to the next level. But after spending the night together, Sigrid awakens to the jarring discovery that Christian lives with Frank, a man dressed in a dog costume who is obstinately treated as a pet. Initially repulsed, Sigrid reconsiders and tries to keep an open mind, only to be drawn into Christian's increasingly ominous world.

In this exclusive interview, writer/director Viljar Boe and his stars Gard Lokke and Katrine Lovise Opstad Fredriksen talk about numerous elements that went into the making of Good Boy, including character choices, the uncanny look of Frank's dog costume, and the surreal experience of living in the space where the film was shot.

Good Boy is available on VOD and digital platforms including Amazon and Google Play.

RadioFree.com: Without spoiling too much of the story, what inspired the idea for this film?

VILJAR: You know, it all started, obviously, with a person in a dog costume--that imagery. But I'm not sure where I came up with it. I had that for years, and I didn't really have a plot for it. But then as the years went, I kind of developed it more and more. I wasn't really sure if it was going to be a comedy or thriller. I started as a comedy, and then while making it, it naturally turned into something a little bit more sinister, I guess you could say.

Gard, what was your initial reaction to the script?

GARD: Well, I was really intrigued. I had to do a double take, triple take, four-time take. [laughs] I think Viljar is really clever in the way he mixes genres. And I've been waiting a long time for someone to hand me a chance, or a role, or a script where I can explore something so far away, but also realistically...And this was a really unique chance for me to play something that I really wanted to play.

Katrine, what are your thoughts on Sigrid actually leaving Christian at one point, but then making a conscious decision to go back into a potentially dangerous situation? We don't often see that in thrillers...

KATRINE: When I got the script, Viljar and [I talked] a lot about giving Sigrid free will--not feeling that she is a dumb character that ends up in a situation, but it's an active choice of her trying to figure out her life, in a way. And that's why she wants to connect with Christian, I think, because she's looking for love and connection, and really, really is seeking that. For me, it was very nice having this scene where she could decide to come back, because it gave her a little bit more power, and it was very freeing to play. And I think that it [adds] something else to the film as well.

Gard, what was your approach in playing Christian? He obviously has to be very persuasive to Sigrid, but he also has to be persuasive to audiences in service of the story: as viewers, we don't know if we should trust him, but we're still intrigued by him.

GARD: Me and Viljar had a lot of conversations when we first started. And one thing that I really put pressure on was that we needed to make him empathetic and sympathetic, and that the audience should root for him. So I did a lot of research on personalities that are manipulative, or personalities with a lot of power that misuse that power. And I think there's always something that draws people to these bad people more than the things they do--for example, charm or thoughtfulness or money. There are a lot of examples of that. So just diving into what makes people follow bad people was really interesting.

Christian has a knack for cooking. Did you actually make all of the meals that he prepares, and were they as delicious as they looked?

GARD: It was really delicious. [laughs] The opening scenes are my hands, so yeah, I prepared that. Also, the ending was mine. We didn't have many chances because of the budget, and we wanted to nail it. But some of the meals...Help me out here, Viljar. When we ate together, I think it was collaborate cooking sometimes.

VILJAR: Yeah, it was funny because [in] the first scene, he cooks a steak, and I kind of just said, "Can you cook a steak?" He said yes, and then he just did it, and I was just filming him. So we got lucky because he made quite a good steak. And that was just random. I didn't know if he was good at cooking or not. I kind of just assumed he would be able to do it.

Viljar, did Frank's dog costume go through many different iterations to get the look that you wanted?

VILJAR: Yeah. Me and my costume designer Marie [Waade Gronning], and also the other producers, especially discussed if the dog should have a mask or not. "Perhaps it should be a dog costume and you see the face [with] makeup." But we decided against that because I think the important thing about having the mask is that the audience is not able to read the dog's emotions. So you don't really know if he's scared or happy or sad or uncomfortable, anything. You're just kind of forced to project your own thoughts and feelings onto the dog. And also, it was important [that] we didn't really look at any specific dog breed when we made the costume. It was kind of supposed to be an uncanny valley where it looks like a dog, but it obviously isn't.

Katrine and Gard, what were your first impressions of the costume?

KATRINE: I remember thinking that it looked a little bit scary, because you can't even get a glimpse of what's inside it. And the eyes, especially...I don't know. But at the same time, it's like you get to know it in a weird way, so then you're kind of like, "Oh, this is quite cute! It's normal!" [laughs] But yeah, at first, I thought it was really scary.

GARD: I also think it was really off-putting the first time I ever saw it. And it's something about the eyes that looks right through you. And for me personally, I've never had any teddy bears because from a young age, I had nightmares [from] teddy bears because of the eyes. And I thought, "How am I going to play that I love this dog?" I think I made some recognition, and the more the time went by, it grew on me as well. [laughs] But there were some nights that I had trouble sleeping.

For each of you, what were some memorable takeaways from the experience of making this film? Were any specific scenes particularly fun or challenging?

VILJAR: [ponders] That's a good question. I have to be honest, I tend to kind of blackout the process--all I remember from the film is just what's on screen. Which I think is both a bad thing and a good thing...I'm not going to [spoil] too much, but just being in that space during the last scenes was something very special, because it did kind of feel, at least to me, very real. Katrine Lovise and Gard and also Nicolai [Narvesen Lied], who plays the dog...It felt very real while filming these scenes. So that was a very fun experience...Or a "weird" experience, I guess is more apt.

GARD: I think for me, the one scene I always come back to when thinking of the shooting is the scene in the barn. And I don't want to spoil anything, but I think that was a huge moment for the character, and for us as a team as well. There was a lot of exploration and freedom and trust in that scene, so I really enjoyed everything that happened in the barn. If I could use the word "enjoy"...Because I'm Gard and that was Christian. [laughs]

KATRINE: [laughs] For me, I think that the whole experience was very nice...Getting the safe environment and the freedom to play that Viljar gave us. We were both able to have a say when reading the script. And during the filming as well, we were able to have creative input. He was very open-minded to let us try things out, and that was really nice. And having the support and a really great, talented co-worker in Gard also made this experience for me just really, really nice. But it was kind of weird that we lived in the same place as we shot the film. [laughs] I think that kind of is something making this whole part--as Viljar said--a blackout, because everything was, like, [isolated] and it was in the middle of COVID...But connecting with all the talented people there was really nice.

Viljar, how did you coordinate with Nicolai to shoot Frank's scenes? Being in the dog costume, did he have to constantly remain in character?

VILJAR: He was only able to film there for four days, so we actually had to have a stand-in for a lot of the scenes. In the first half, all the scenes [are] played by our producer and costume designer Marie. And you don't want somebody to just be in a dog costume for too long, so we tried to film that as fast as possible, and in small increments, so they don't sit on all fours for eight hours a day, because it can be quite dehumanizing. It's a weird experience.

Do any of you plan to follow up Good Boy by revisiting the psychological thriller genre, or will your next projects be wildly different?

VILJAR: My next project that's in post-production right now, actually, is very much a psychological thriller, and touches upon some similar themes, I'd say. But in a little bit of a different way.

KATRINE: For me, I'm working on something really, really different now. I'm working on children's theatre. So it's very different, but I'd love to do more film in the future.

GARD: And for me, I've done a lot of different stuff--some work that has come out since we shot this movie two years ago, and some stuff coming up. But I'd love to do more psychological thrillers and horror. I would love to work with Viljar again. And yeah...Just excited for what the future holds.

Thank you all for your time, and have a great day!

VILJAR: You too, it was nice talking to you.

KATRINE: Thank you!

GARD: Have a nice day.

• More Entertainment Highlights